The Heart Giver
by stars90
Summary: AU Post OOTP. Harry is stuck at Privet Drive mourning Sirius when he gets help from two separate sources, one of which he'd never have expected. Now, surrounded on all sides by enemies, Harry must figure out what exactly this power the Dark Lord knows not entails. But how can love be a weapon? And if the greatest wizarding authority in history can't figure it out, how can Harry?
1. Grieving and finding help

**My very first Harry Potter story! This will have elements common to many Super-Harry stories, but I'd like to think there are elements which will be unique as well. On with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

Harry Potter was laid out flat on his bed at Number 4, Privet Drive; his mind drowning beneath the pervasive misery borne out of his last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An entire school year chalk full of smearing, hostility, and outright torture culminating in the death of his beloved godfather Sirius Black were weighing down on him relentlessly. Not to mention learning of the prophecy linking him to Voldemort…. His stomach was empty, yet he had no appetite. His body was tired, but sleep meant dreams, and dreams meant reliving death and torture and even experiencing some that hadn't happened. Not that remaining awake was a vast improvement….

Harry wondered to himself how much more he could take. Given everything that had happened to him since the first time Voldemort had attacked him at the age of one, he had a high tolerance for pain, both physical and emotional, but the valve holding that pain was full to bursting. He felt so tired, so _worn_, and he just didn't know what to do.

The thought sounded somewhat childishly simplistic, but it kept recurring in his mind. _I just want to feel better_. Harry longed for a break from the misery and heartbreak, or at least a let up. He wanted someone to lift some of the burden off his shoulders. He wanted something that could ease the pain even the tiniest bit, both for the relief and to provide so much as the slimmest hope that maybe someday it would ease further, something he was sorely lacking at the moment.

The idea of talking to his relatives was laughable, more likely to earn him a broken bone than any emotional support. He thought about writing to one of his friends, but he knew that would be a futile exercise. His best mate Ronald Weasley was good at plenty of things, but emotional comfort wasn't one of them. The letters he'd received from him since the beginning of the summer had carefully avoided any topics of true significance. His other best Hermione Granger was a bit more sensitive, but her constant stream of urges to talk to her interspersed with tips very clearly straight out of some random books on psychology and grief were grating and pressuring, something Harry very much did not need any more of right now. The only person who'd been a comfort, a reassurance a voice that knew the right thing to say was Sirius. _Sirius…_

He scoured his memories for anyone else he could think of to write to for comfort, but he kept coming up short. Remus seemed like the kind of person who could do it, but Harry was sure he was dealing with his own grief over the loss of his best friend, almost a brother to him, and Harry didn't want to pile up his own grief on top of that. Not to mention the small consideration of it having been Harry's faulty in the first place that Sirius died, so Harry couldn't imagine that Lupin would want to hear from him.

His mind flashed back to a conversation at the end of term with his relatively new friend Luna Lovegood which had helped a bit, but Harry felt that the comfort there had been through a mutual comprehension of the concept of people dying, not something he believed would particularly help right now. Dumbledore was out of the question, as Harry was still reeling from his last conversation with his headmaster which had enlightened him of his destiny to battle Voldemort to the death. Not to mention he was still unsure just how much of his trust for the headmaster remained after all that had been revealed on that occasion. Harry sighed. His past was not replete with many examples of someone helping him through heartbreak. The biggest example he'd ever had would've been when he talked to Sirius and Remus about the memories he'd seen of his father, but that was clearly unavailable. _Wait a minute…_

That last thought had brought another related memory into the front of his mind. A memory of sitting in the library brooding about wanting to speak with Sirius and Remus, but not being able to, when someone came up and rescued him from his moodiness. One person who noticed he was in pain and talked to him, even going so far as to provide a practical solution without demanding information. He remembered feeling better at the end of the conversation, even when that practical solution was nothing but a "maybe there is a solution." Feeling hopeful that he might be able to get what he needed. _Feeling like the burden had lightened…._

Harry sat up in excitement. _Ginny._ He'd become much closer with the youngest Weasley over the past year, once she'd become able to open up in his presence without impersonating a particularly ripe tomato. He thought about the various interactions they'd had over the past year. _What if she wouldn't help?_ No, Ginny is too good a friend for that, she'll help if she can. _What if that was a fluke?_ Harry pondered this for a moment before stumbling on another memory… Having become convinced that he was being possessed by Voldemort, Harry had withdrawn from his friends, feeling a need to protect them. The person who eventually snapped him out of his mood was that same little redhead, having had the insight that this was the time to tell him off, despite the towering temper he'd been in which had Ron and Hermione treating him like glass for much of the year. And thinking back on that conversation recalled how she'd done that. The chamber. Ginny had used her traumatic memories of being possessed to help him, despite how painful it must have been to dredge them up. Thinking back on the chamber, Harry wondered if maybe, just maybe, Ginny might understand, might grasp even a little bit the feeling of having been touched by the evil that was Voldemort. In any case, Harry now had two concrete examples of the young witch possessing a power that seemed as magical to him as anything he'd ever learned at Hogwarts, a power that he didn't understand, but which shone for him like a lighthouse through the fog on a stormy sea. The power to ease his burdens. He didn't know how she did it, or if she could do it consciously, but the longing for relief was so desperate that he had to at least try, no matter how awkward he might feel.

Harry grabbed a piece of parchment and settled down at his desk, trying to figure out how to phrase everything he wanted to say.

_Dear Ginny,_

_How are you? I hope this is okay, I wasn't sure… I know we've never written each other before. How's your family? The… bird club members? Dean, you said you were dating him, didn't you? I really hope you don't mind this, there are just a few things I wanted to say to you._

_First of all, I wanted to thank you for coming with me to the ministry. You don't know how much it means to me that you were willing to follow me into danger to rescue someone close to me. I really hope I'm not making you uncomfortable by bringing this up, but I imagine it would be much harder given what happened in your first year, for you to purposely go off expecting to face him. _

_I'm really glad I've gotten the chance to get to know you better this past year. You really are a wonderful friend. It's always meant a lot to me to have friends, particularly friends that would stand by me through things like everything that went on last year. I only wish I'd have gotten to know you sooner. _

_Now for the big thing I wanted to ask you. This is kind of awkward, and I don't really know how to phrase it, so please bear with me. And I'd really appreciate it if you don't say anything about this to anyone. All the questions that I've gotten, "Are you alright", "How are you", things like that. I always give the same answer. "I'm fine." I know you've noticed this, I've heard you complain about it. I suppose it's because I don't really know what else to say. In my experience, people caring about my well-being, about how I feel- well, it's not something I really know what to do with. I don't want to be a burden, and I truly apologize for burdening you. Please don't feel like you owe me anything. Feel free to completely ignore this. But I just… I needed some help. I had to ask. I'm not fine. Everything is crushing down on me. The last year, Umbridge, Dumbledore, nobody believing me, and Sirius. Sirius. I- I can't believe he's gone. I was just starting to get used to having his presence in my life, an adult who treated my interests as a priority. And now- I'm never going to get another letter from him. I'm never going to have to worry about him getting caught because he cares so much about me that I'm afraid he'll do something reckless. That wasn't fun, but it made me feel… cherished. Worthwhile. Loved. And now he's gone, and Voldemort's still after me, and everyone expects me to fight him, and… it's just too much. _

_This past year, I noticed sometimes that you were able to somehow know what I needed, know what to say and how to say it. You were able to lighten the pressure a bit. You… understood. I've never felt that before. Nobody has ever had that effect on me. I don't know how you do it, if you do it on purpose, if you can- say… anything. I just needed to ask, because I'm craving something, and you were the only hope I had. Please don't feel obligated or burdened, that's the last thing I want, and I have no right to ask for it. I just… I had to ask if you'd consider writing me back. If not, my friendship, my admiration, my gratitude for you… none of it will suffer. _

_Always your friend, whether you write back or not,_

_Harry_

Harry read over his letter after signing his name. He noticed that there were points which seemed to be rambling or less put together than one would normally find in a written letter, but nothing too terrible, and he was feeling way too drained from this brief exposure of his feelings to consider copying it down again. Instead he rolled it up and went over to his faithful owl.

"Hedwig, can you please take this to Ginny? And if she decides to write back, wait for her reply?"

The gorgeous snowy owl chirped its acknowledgment and held out her leg. Harry tied on the letter, and she soared out the window. Feeling exhausted from how deeply he'd had to dig to write that letter, Harry resigned himself to another round of night terrors and sunk onto the bed. He was out in seconds.

**Harry didn't know where he was. He was surrounded by light on all sides. The light was bright, and all one color, but he didn't know what to call the color, it was like trying to describe the afterimages from looking at a bright light. The only thing he was perfectly conscious of, was a man standing in front of him, holding him in a piercing gaze reminiscent of Dumbledore - a man he didn't know. **

"**Who are you?"**

"**Direct, and to the point. I like that."**

"**Yes, I am direct. Particularly when a man I've never seen crops up in a dream. Now, if you like directness so much, why don't you give me a direct answer?"**

**The man chuckled.**

"**Very right my boy, very right. I have many names, rendered into many tongues, remembered differently by different people. But the name I think you're most familiar with would be Merlin."**

**Harry stared for two seconds before giving a snort. "Right, and I'm the king of Atlantis."**

"**Actually the king of Atlantis was a good friend of mine by the name of…"**

"**Enough! I was being sarcastic. Who are you really? Is this another trick from Voldemort?"**

"**Oh no dear boy, you know that after he tried to possess you in the ministry of magic, he knows better than to try again for fear of experiencing the same excruciating pain."**

"**So then who are you- and how do you know about what happened in the ministry?"**

"**Very simple, Harry, I know because you do. I am a part of your mind."**

"**First you're Merlin, now you're part of my mind coming up as a man that looks nothing like me? Are you trying to be this transparent a liar?"**

**He chuckled again. "Yes I can see how that would sound confusing. Allow me to explain. A very long time ago, there was a man, considered by most to be the most powerful wizard that ever lived. He lived for many years and accomplished many feats, developing his powers most thoroughly. This was the man you know as Merlin. But in the very late stages of his life he was confronted with a situation. His children were being hunted by one of his old enemies, a man named Morvere. Morvere was never as powerful as Merlin, so Merlin was consistently able to defeat him. But Morvere knew Merlin would soon expire of old age, leaving his children as the only potential threats to him, so he set off to hunt them down before Merlin could teach them his skills.**

**Merlin knew of this, but he also knew that Morvere had too many men for him to combat in time. So he contrived to hide his children by creating new identities for them. This effort meant that he wasn't able to pass down all of his knowledge to all of his children, but all of his powers survived with at least one of them. But Merlin was confident that this would not be enough. He had seen many evils that arose in this world, and knew that it would be necessary some day for there to be someone who had all of his powers in order to combat evil, just as he had needed them all. He couldn't count on his children's descendants remaining close, and if he taught too much of his power to one of them Morvere would've recognized them for who they were while they were still too young and underdeveloped in raw power to be able to defeat him. So he struck upon a plan. He left a unique form of his memories in a special chest in his belongings, stating it was to be kept secure and only for his family's access. He then cast a charm on his children which buried within their bodies a small echo of his consciousness which would be passed down to all of his descendants. It would watch for one who needed these abilities and was powerful enough to handle them, as well as wise enough to be trusted with them. If and when I am that echo, and in light of the prophecy you were recently made aware of it is clear that you, young Harry, are the descendent to receive these powers."**

**Harry stood there, gobsmacked. He didn't know what to say. It all sounded too incredible to him, but he found himself incapable of disbelieving the man's story. It was as if it were a long forgotten memory rather than a new piece of information **_**(which Harry realized, in one sense was accurate.)**_

"**Are you saying this will… will… let me beat Voldemort? This is the "power he knows not", that will let me end him?"**

"**Good heavens, no."**

**Harry was starting to wonder if startled was going to become his default state. "It's not? Oh man… if even Merlin's power isn't enough to win a duel with Voldemort, how the heck am I supposed to do it!?"**

"**Harry, from your memories, particularly those from the graveyard and the fight in the ministry, I believe it will be enough to win a duel with him."**

**Now Harry was getting dizzy. "But you just said…"**

**Merlin cut him off. "Harry, the Avada Kedavra is the most efficient magical means of ending a life. The darker the magic behind it the more powerful the curse becomes. Voldemort is one of the darkest wizards in the history of the planet. If his own killing curse didn't kill him, what makes you think another will? No, Harry, this power will help immensely, but technically anyone else could theoretically do much of it. This is not that power."**

"**So then what is?"**

"**Honestly… I haven't a clue." Taking in the expression on his face, Merlin probably realized that Harry did not find this particularly reassuring. "It will help you hold the line and give you time to search for the power he knows not. It may also help you find it, I cannot know for sure."**

**Harry just stood there. His instincts were telling him this was on the level. But still, the idea that he could be meant for this- it was unreal. Harry couldn't wrap his mind around it.**

**The man- Merlin- sensed Harry's hesitation and spoke once again.**

"**I sense your hesitation, Harry. It is perfectly understandable, given the life you have lead up until now and the magnitude of what this means. But honestly in all of this life you've led, when have you ever been completely normal? Perhaps you will find this easier to swallow if you allow me to offer you a small bit of proof."**

**These words felt like a life raft to the drowning teen. "How?"**

"**I obviously do not have the ability to train you in a fraction of the powers that Merlin set aside for you. However, I was created with the ability to retrieve a memory from my consciousness to help you achieve one power, tailored to my evaluation of your personality, for precisely this purpose. Based on what I see, what would you say to becoming an Animagus?"**

**Harry's heart (such as it was in the dream world) began to beat faster. An Animagus! That would be… incredible! He could become a part of the Marauder's legacy! He could honor his father… he could honor Sirius. Of all the times to be given this opportunity, being given it now meant a great deal to him. "Okay," he whispered through trembling lips.**

**Merlin smiled. "Alright. I'll just use your magic to access your core so we can get an initial look at your form."**

**Harry perked up at this. "Wait, I thought a special potion was needed to do that?"**

"**Pfah, that potion's bubkiss" I bet some smart-allec potioneer found it in a crackerjack box!"**

**Harry stared.**

"**I have all of your memories, remember? Including the memory of you spying on Dudley and his friends watching that movie. I must say I find myself quite admiring this Yogurt fellow.**

**Harry punctuated his stare with a few blinks.**

"**Oh whatever, the point is, that potion is the amateur's way to do it. I'll just use your magic to have us take a look at your magical core. It'll induce an animagus trance so we can see the animal."**

**Harry came out of his Merlin Movie Moment trance enough to nod.**

"**Alright then, here we go." And with that, Merlin opened the connection.**

**Now, it should be noted that this remnant of Merlin possessed, if not memories, than at least vague recollections, of the long life of a man who'd scoured the depths of magic to an extent that few could even imagine. He knew more about how magic was works than any other human ever had. And he was quite familiar with Harry's life so he was even prepared for to experience the rare or unexpected, such as finding magical or multiple forms. All in all, Merlin was fairly certain that no matter how unusual it was, nothing would happen that could really surprise him too much.**

**Which is why he let out a curse when instead of their dream realm dissolving into a vision of an animal in its natural habitat, the realm began to flash different colors at nauseating speed, before fading into blackness, indicating Harry had fallen from sleep to unconsciousness.**

_**That boy is positively allergic to doing anything the normal way.**_


	2. Responses

Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter

Ginny Weasley sat in her bedroom at the burrow, silently fuming. That morning she'd gotten into an argument with her mother, who'd taken her to task for her decision to take part in the battle at the Department of Mysteries, claiming her to be too young to be getting involved in such situations, not to mention it not being a very womanly thing to do. Ginny had scoffed at both accusations, but she'd expected this from her mother. What really got her blood boiling was how Ron had agreed with her, saying that if only he hadn't been rushed he would've made sure to stop her from coming.

To say Ginny was furious would be an understatement. Who did Ron think he was? Hadn't he been getting into similar situations since he'd been younger than Ginny was now? How could he be so hypocritical?

At that point in the discussion, Ginny's famous temper had blown sky high, and she lit into the both of them, causing a screaming match that shook dust from the ceiling. In the end, Ginny had been sent to her room, and now all she could do was rage at her family in the privacy of her own mind. They thought she would stay young forever? They thought she would watch the war from the sidelines? None of them understood. None of them knew what it was like to be touched by the evil that was Voldemort. Ginny was no longer a child. She hadn't been a child in four years. She would fight, no matter what anyone else thought. She refused to sit idly while the fate she'd suffered was dealt to anyone else.

Ginny's ruminations were interrupted by a tapping at the window. Turning her head, she was shocked to find the familiar form of Hedwig. She bounded off her bed and opened the window, letting the owl fly in and land on her windowsill.

"What are you doing here Hedwig? You know this isn't Ron's room."

Hedwig gave her an indignant look as if to say '_No, really?_' and held out her leg. Ginny glanced at the parchment and sure enough, that was her name written in Harry's elegant scroll, not Ron's. Feeling absolutely bewildered, Ginny took the letter from the snowy owl and sat down to read.

By the end she was in tears.

Ginny had seen how devastated Harry was at the end of last year. She'd felt the palpable grief in those gorgeous green eyes. But there was something so much worse about reading it in his own words. His pain as he himself described it- it made it that much more real. And given how private of a person Harry was, especially with his feelings, particularly grief, the fact that he'd written this letter at all, never mind by his own choice, were a massive statement of just how badly Harry was hurting.

At the same time, her heart was doing backflips at his explanation of why he'd written her specifically. Again Harry was a very private person. The kind of trust he would have to have in her to be willing to write something like this… it boggled her mind. She started wondering for a moment if it could possibly be a sign that he was starting to have similar feelings for her as she had for him, but she shot this thought down brutally. Harry was in pain and asking her for help. This was not at all the time. First she needed to see if she could help him. It was this train of thought which was interrupted by her door banging open.

"Hedwig," shouted Ron as he marched into her room as if it were his own, "what are you doing here? You know where my room is." Hedwig gave him an indignant look. In fact, Hedwig's glare at Ron bore an uncanny resemblance to the one Ginny was directing at him.

"Ron! You can't just march into my room whenever you feel like it! Get out!"

Ron turned to regard his sister. "Calm down, I only came in here because I was on my broom and saw Hedwig on your windowsill." It was at that point that he saw the letter in Ginny's hand.

"Hey! That's my letter! You had no right to read it!" Ron shouted before lunging for the letter. Ginny sidestepped him and yelled back, "It's not your letter, it's mine, now get out of my room!"

"Yeah right, that's Hedwig, which means that letter is from Harry."

"Yes, for me!"

"Oh please, you and I both know Harry wouldn't be writing you, now give me back my letter!" And with that, Ron charged across the room at her. Ginny was able to dodge this attempt as well, but she had been backed into a corner, so she knew she wouldn't be able to get away again. She opened her mouth to threaten Ron within an inch of his life, when another figure entered the fray.

"ARRRRGGGHHHH!" shouted Ron in pain as Hedwig dive-bombed his head, her talons scratching at his scalp. "Hedwig, what the bloody hell was that for?! I'm just trying to get back the letter she stole!" Hedwig landed on Ginny's shoulder and gave Ron an angry huff."

Smiling at the beautiful owl, Ginny turned to her dear brother. "That, Ron, was because Hedwig knows this letter was intended for me. For your information, Harry is my friend too, and he would, and clearly did, write to me. Now if you plan on having the option of ever having children I strongly suggest you leave my room," Ginny's voice lowered to an absolutely deadly whisper, "_now."_

Ron's sense of self-preservation seemed to kick in at that point, and with one last angry glare at his sister, Ron stalked out of the room.

Ginny let out a sound between a sigh and a snarl. "Thanks for backing me up there Hedwig. I appreciate that you're on my side, and I know you know I didn't actually need the help." The owl puffed out her chest importantly in acknowledgment. Ginny gave a small giggle before sitting down again to think. Her mind began moving towards plotting hideous revenge against her brother, but the memory of what they were fighting over took the wind right out of her sails. She placed that issue on the back burner, possibly to discuss with the twins, as she settled down to write the most important letter of her life.

The first thing Harry became aware of as he slowly returned to consciousness was the throbbing behind his eyeballs, as if somebody had come after them with an ice cream scoop. Groaning softly, he sat up in his bed.

"Ah, you're finally awake."

Harry jumped at the sound, casting about wildly for the speaker before managing to place the voice at the same moment as the voice decided to help. "Helloooo, what part of 'in your head didn't you understand?'"

Sitting back down while trying to calm his rapidly beating heart, Harry shot back, "Sorry, but I've only ever spoken to you face to face in my dream. I'm not really used to hearing a voice in my head while awake. Speaking of which, how exactly does this work? Are you going to be sitting in my head laughing every time I trip over my own feet for the rest of my life?"

Merlin snorted. "Good heavens, no. Don't you think I have anything better to do with my death? (Harry struggled in vain to find an answer to this) As soon as your lessons with my memories are complete, it'll be up to everyone else to laugh at you."

Harry rolled his eyes and immediately regretted it, although the pain was dying down. "How long was I out?"

Harry felt a mental 'gesture' in the direction of the window, which still looked out into darkness. "Only a couple of hours, it's not even morning yet."

"So what exactly just happened? I thought you were going to show me my Animagus form, not blast my brain from the inside out?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea." Harry's mouth fell open. "But- But you're supposed to be Merlin. How can you have no idea?"

"First of all, for the second time, I'm not Merlin, I'm a fragment of consciousness created and modeled by him, meaning I don't have all of his knowledge. But I did use his knowledge of the Animagus revelation, and the honest truth is, I don't believe he would've understood what just happened either. The revelation is supposed to put you peacefully into a trance, and I think you'd agree that was anything but peaceful. And unless I, the guy in your head, missed something, you didn't see an animal, just blinding, flashing colors."

A thought occurred to Harry that made his stomach drop down to his feet. "Could it be- is it possible I just don't have a form?" Merlin sighed. "We really must do something to improve your self-esteem, dear boy. And in answer to your question, everyone has a form, even if they either don't have the power or the inclination to learn how to use it. Perhaps there is some more recent research which could shed some light on this. We'll have to ask the goblins when we see them."

"Goblins?"

"Good lord, boy, what do you think Merlin did with the memories, etched them into the wind? We'll need to drop by Gringotts as soon as possible."

The conversation between the two was interrupted by a tapping at the window. Harry turned to see his own Hedwig just outside, waiting for him to let her in.

Harry walked over to the window and opened it, allowing Hedwig to swoop inside and drop Ginny's reply into Harry's hands. Harry gazed at the letter with no small amount of fear. What if she couldn't help him? What if he'd overstepped? What if…

"My goodness, you seem to have learned quite a bit about predicting the future from that fruitcake at Hogwarts. From what I can tell, Ginny is an extraordinary young woman, not to mention rather attractive; if I was eleven hundred years younger… (Harry blushed beet red and mentally slapped the old man). She wouldn't berate you for that letter, and if she can't help, we'll find another way for you to deal with your very understandable grief. But why don't you open it before leaping to every worst case scenario that couldn't possibly exist?"

Still rather nervous but definitely more determined, Harry unrolled the letter and began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_I have to say I was very surprised to get your letter. HARRY JAMES POTTER stop that thought right now! As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me with your negativity, surprised, but pleased. It doesn't matter that we haven't written each other much if at all. I'm always here to help you, and I'm really glad you felt you could come to me. _

_Summer here is ok. The twins are busy with their new shop (we still haven't been able to see it), Dad's been running ragged at work, Percy is still the world's biggest git. Right now it's Mum and Ron who are driving me crazy. First Mum's on my case about my coming to the ministry, says it was dangerous and not proper (insert eye roll here) and then Ron, the hypocrite goes and agrees with her. Don't you go feeling guilty- it was my choice to go with you and I stand by it. I would definitely make the same choice again. And then Ron just came into my room demanding to see your letter and accusing me of stealing it, as if I don't have a right to be getting letters from you. I don't know what his problem is, but he's headed straight for a good bat-bogey hex if he keeps up like he has…. And I appreciate your asking about Dean, but I'm not dating him. I noticed he might've been eyeing me and I'd been thinking about whether or not I was interested when the issue came up on the train and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get Ron riled up. Almost wish I hadn't what with the way he's been going on about it since we got home, yet another thing I'd like to bat-bogey him for. _

_I'm also really glad that we've been able to get to know each other better. Especially since it was mainly my fault we hadn't before (I still have the occasional nightmare about that blasted butter dish)._

_As far as the rest of what you talked about is concerned, first things first. I do not, and I'll repeat that again in case it helps get the message across more clearly DO NOT feel at all burdened by the fact that you've shared this with me. Like I said I'm always here for you, Harry. If I can ever do anything to relieve some of this weight you carry, it's not a burden. It's a privilege._

_Considering everything you've gone through this year, I don't find it at all surprising that it's taking its toll on you. On the contrary, if it wasn't I'd be really worried about what an unfeeling person you were, something we both know is not true. You've taken all this pain for something you never asked for. You've been harassed and belittled for having been touched by something so evil that you feel dirty just being associated with him. Not to mention you were nearly killed at the time. There isn't anything I can say to that except that you're not in this alone. We're all here for you, we all want to shoulder as much of the burden as we can, and we'll all support you while you're handling the parts we can't. Plus, that part of it at least is hopefully over and done with. Umbridge's gone, the ministry is acknowledging the truth, and everyone knows that they were wrong about you. It doesn't make up for any of what happened to you, but maybe it can at least give you some shred of hope for the future. (And if you like, you can talk to the twins about pranking Umbridge again. I doubt they'll say no, especially to you of all people, and it would put a smile on everyone's face)._

_Sirius. I don't know what I can say. I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine exactly what he meant to you. But there are a few things you might want to think about. I got to know Sirius a bit when we were both in you-know-where last year. He was a fun, vivacious man who loved life and you so much. He wouldn't want you to be moping because of his death. He'd want the same thing he wanted when he was alive; for you to enjoy life. He loved you so much Harry, I could hear it every time I spoke with him. Your happiness meant so much to him. And what better way to honor him than to live your life the way he lived his, looking for a way to enjoy every moment you could. It doesn't mean you can't be sad, it just means try not to get bogged down in it. Try to have fun, to play pranks, tell jokes. Live your life. It was what Sirius wanted, and what Tom would hate._

_I won't even pretend that I can understand what it must be like for you, having lost all these loved ones. But you need to keep in my mind, and if you can't get this through your mind I have a few choice hexes to drill it into you- you do have family. You have all of us, you have Hermione, Remus, Tonks, there are so many people who care about you. Don't ever think you're alone. We're with you, and if you won't accept that I'm speaking for everyone else, I'll say it for me. I'm with you, Harry. Nothing will ever change that. Face it Potter, you're stuck with me._

_Always your family,_

_Ginny_

Harry finished the letter with a strange ache in his heart. Nobody had ever said anything like this to him. No one had ever told him straight out they were with him until the wheels came off, that he was family, that he was _wanted_. Sirius had made him feel that way, but this wasn't his Godfather. This was just Ginny, his best friends- no, not his best friends little sister. This was Ginny, a compassionate, vivacious young woman with exceptional judgment, and she had just sent him a pledge of loyalty, a pledge of family. He knew he could never express what this meant to him. He had his answer. He did feel a bit better. He felt for the first time that losing Sirius may not have meant losing everything. Harry sat down on the bed and for the first time wept for what he had, and not what he had lost.


	3. Going to Gringotts

Harry awoke slowly the next morning, feeling even more fatigued than usual after having cried himself to sleep just a few hours before.

"Good morning, Harry"_, _Merlin's voice broke in not 5 seconds after he managed to drag his eyelids up.

"Morning, Merlin", Harry mumbled as he tried to blink the sleep out of his eyes.

"I believe you slept better than you have been lately."

Harry sighed. "Yeah, the dream was much shorter and not quite as vivid. I guess yesterday really helped."

Merlin gave a soft 'Mhmm' before responding. "Never underestimate the healing power of having someone to share your burden, Harry. Nor the amazing cathartic power of a few tears."

Harry gave a derisive snort. "More than a few, I think."

Merlin sighed. "I will never understand these habits of those of your time to diminish crying. There is no shame in it, Harry. When it is not before your enemy, it represents no weakness. On the contrary, it is one of our greatest strengths." Sensing Harry's oncoming frown, Merlin continued to explain. "Crying is a way of expressing your emotions, Harry, a way of feeling them more intently. It is also an outlet for us to let out pain instead of carrying it within, something which is only harmful in the long run. Never be ashamed to cry, dear boy."

Harry looked down. "With the way I've been feeling lately, I don't know if feeling more intently is good or bad. I've kind of been wishing to feel less."

Harry had the impression that if he could see Merlin he'd see him shaking his head. "Harry, you've been through so much hardship in your short life and it seems fairly clear there will still be more. It makes perfect sense for you to feel this way. But emotion is one of the cornerstones of life. Feeling badly is one of the prices we must pay for it, but I think it is a good deal. Tell me something, Harry. You've been very upset about the death of your Godfather. Do you wish you'd never met Sirius Black.?"

Harry was startled by the question. "No! Of course not!"

"But why, Harry? Had you never met him, you would not feel any particular grief for his death."

"Yeah, but I'd never have been able to know him, had the times I did have with him. Get… to….," Harry trailed off thoughtfully as he began to hear what he was saying.

Merlin seemingly beamed. "Exactly, Harry, exactly! There can be no good in life without bad, or at the very least we'd be unable to appreciate it. This doesn't mean you shouldn't grieve, Harry, you should. Sirius was very important to you and his presence in your life was something to miss, something to mourn. But do not start thinking seriously that you should not feel so you wouldn't have to care. This is the last thing Sirius would want! And it would be a tremendous disservice to yourself and all of the people still in the world who care for you." Harry was left with much to ponder as he set about his short morning routine, changing and using the loo before heading down for breakfast for one of the first times that summer.

Given the scintillating conversationalists that sat with him around the table, Harry was able to continue conversing with Merlin silently without being missed from the table talk.

"So, what do we do now?"

"Well, I'd say our most crucial bit of business would be getting you to Gringotts, and seeing as you'll most likely have rather a lot of business to discuss there, I'd say we should go earlier rather than later."

Harry missed frowning in front of the Dursleys by an inch. "But Dumbledore probably has a guard on me just like last year. I don't think they'll be too eager to let me go to Gringotts."

"Isn't it such an awful shame that you don't have an item which doesn't require an actual active use of magic which can render you rather difficult to spot? And if only someone had thought to build a violently purple bus which goes around the country at the drop of your wand and doesn't ask too many question if you're trying to hide your identity."

Once again Harry was barely able to stop himself from giving something away to the Dursleys by rolling his eyes at Merlin's sarcasm, although he had to admit the plan was sound. At least until one tiny wrinkle occurred to him. "What if the guard on duty is Mad-Eye?"

Merlin chuckled. "Yet again, an easily solvable problem. That fool who allowed the dementors to get to you last year, Mundungus Fletcher, has a rather pungent odor about him, does he not? Go into the yard and wait until you smell him. Once he comes, you know it's his shift and not Mad-Eye's, so just get out of sight and put on your invisibility cloak. I doubt your business will take quite that long to be another shift by the time you're done."

Unable to think of another objection, Harry did as Merlin said. Following breakfast he went out into the yard and sat waiting for the strong stench of alcohol and tobacco Harry associated with Mundungus. Once he caught it, he strode back into the house and put on the cloak, before turning and walking right back out and away. Several blocks, one motion of his arm, and one rather violent ride later, and Harry found himself at the Leaky Cauldron. As he strode through the shop and into Diagon Alley, Harry was struck by the relative emptiness and almost tangible sense of fear present. Apparently the acknowledgement of Voldemort's return had left the wizarding world running for the shadows.

Harry approached Gringotts and bowed respectfully to the Goblin guards. Seemingly taken aback, the guards gave him a once-over with their probity probes before allowing him into the back in spite of the large hooded jacket of Dudley's Harry wore to keep his presence unnoticed.

Harry walked up to one of the tellers and blinked, startled to find that he recognized him.

"Griphook?"

The goblin looked up sharply, clearly shocked at hearing his name spoken. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"You're the only goblin I've ever been introduced to, it's not hard to remember."

Still looking rather taken aback despite Harry's explanation, Griphook responded, "And who exactly are you?"

Harry edged closer to the goblin and lowered his voice at Merlin's prompting. "About that, I was wondering if you'd be open to some kind of arrangement to keep my identity and visit today secret." As Harry spoke, he discreetly held out a hand with a number of gold coins.

Griphook surreptitiously took the coins, examined them, and then answered. "Of course. Your presence today will be held safe on my honor."

Harry didn't know enough about Goblins to understand the reference, but he could tell it meant something serious to Griphook. "Thank you, Griphook, I appreciate it. I was wondering if it would be possible to speak with my account manager?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter, right this way." Griphook moved away from the counter in front of him and led Harry into another corridor behind the teller's desks, down a long hallway and several different staircases which rotated and changed destinations as they were en route. Eventually they came to a small office. Griphook clasped a small bell hanging from the ceiling in approximately the same position as an average doorbell. The bell responded to the Goblin's smallest touch by emitting an earsplitting gong. After standing there for several moments the bell rang again with another, lower-pitched gong. Griphook seemed to take this as a positive sign for he opened the door and held out a hand to gesture Harry inside.

"Mr. Harry Potter for you Manager Ragnuk."

"Thank you, Griphook", came a much lower bass voice from within the office.

Harry turned to Griphook on Merlin's instruction and bowed low. "Thank you Griphook. Glory and success to you and your house." At this point both Griphook and Ragnuk looked at him like he'd grown three heads each of which singing a different opera. Griphook recovered himself enough to give a quick bow and left.

Harry turned and went over to Ragnuk, and immediately noticed that he was much older and more lined than Griphook, as well as having numerous scars.

"Greetings, Mr. Potter. Please have a seat." Ragnuk gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk. Harry sat. "Please forgive us, your words were quite startling."

Harry nodded. "Yes, I'd noticed before as well that Griphook seemed quite nonplussed when I spoke to him and remembered his name. Why exactly was it so startling?"

Ragnuk gave a small chuckle. "Well, Mr. Potter that would be a great surprise. Most goblins are not used to such respect from humans. Your politeness was enough to set one off balance. Remembering a goblin's name, particularly years later? That's positively startling. But then there was your doubly shocking phraseology at thanking Griphook."

Harry's (and Merlin's) frown at the behavior of his species was interrupted by curiosity from that last one. "Why doubly shocking?"

"Well Mr. Potter, very few wizards in living memory have taken the trouble to learn goblin social customs. That was one shock, followed by your utilizing a custom which fell out of favor more than 500 years ago." Harry cringed and mentally smacked Merlin upside the head (not even pausing to reflect on having done this to Merlin of all people). "Well, I guess that book was rather outdated," Harry invented wildly.

"Yes, I suppose it was." Ragnuk's expression was both smirking and calculating, telling Harry that he hadn't bought it, but to Harry's great relief, the subject was dropped, although the frown that took over the goblins face did not set Harry at ease.

"Well Mr. Potter, I must say it is rather difficult to administrate one's accounts when repeated requests for meetings are ignored," spoke the goblin in a rather annoyed tone of voice.

"Wait, wait, what requests?" replied a confused Harry.

"The multiple owls sent to you by Gringotts since you first entered."

"I apologize profusely, Mr. Ragnuk, I've never received one."

The goblin's frown deepened. "Impossible. Gringotts has sent at least a dozen letters per year."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How can that be possible? I've never gotten a single one. I never even realized I had an accounts manager before now!"

Ragnuk studied Harry's face for a few moments before nodding. "Yes, I can see this is completely new information for you. Well, in that case Mr. Potter, I assure you I will launch a full investigation to determine just what happened to your letters. Now then, I assume you are here regarding the new vaults which were just added to your name?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, I- wait, did you say vaults, plural, that were added? I thought it was just 1?"

Ragnuk shook his head. "No Mr. Potter, 5."

"5!?"

"Yes, the account which was just transferred to you controlled the ancient storage vault of Merlin, which incidentally does not have any monetary value, and then the ancestral family vaults of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin."

Harry stared. "_Uh, Merlin, why are the vaults of the founders of Hogwarts under my name?"_

Merlin snorted._ "Wouldn't you find it the least bit odd to receive the family account without all the vaults which are part of it?"_

Harry wasn't mollified. _"What do the four founders of Hogwarts have to do with your family account?"_

"_Don't you remember, my children changed their names to Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin so nobody would know they were related to me or to each other?"_

"_You didn't tell me those were their names!"_

"_Of course I did, back when I – I – when – oops?"_

"_OOPS! OOPS! You senile old -"_

"Is something wrong Mr. Potter?" Harry jumped, startled out of his ranting at Merlin, having completely forgotten about where he was.

"No, I'm sorry Ragnuk, I was just… uhh… a little shell-shocked." "_Because some barmy old codger stuck in my head forgot to tell me a rather important detail!"_

"_Sorry."_

"Understandable, Mr. Potter. I would imagine this would be quite a piece of information to take in."

"That's one way of putting it." Harry sighed. "So what does this mean, exactly?"

"It means, Mr. Potter, that you add a rather enormous sum of money to your name. Most of the individual properties and investments made by the founders as well as the rest of the money they had at the time were handed to their children directly, but the deed for Hogwarts itself was left to whomever received the account just added to your name. I also wanted to go over the investments your parents had (Harry opened his mouth to question this, but Ragnuk cut him off) but perhaps that should wait for another time. You've just been given rather a lot to assimilate. Suffice it to say, your parents had several investments that I haven't been quite sure what to do with for the last several years given the lack of legal paperwork, so I wanted to discuss them with you. Perhaps I can just give you a list to look over on your own and then we can discuss it another time."

Harry just nodded, still overcome with the shock of everything thrown at him in the last 60 seconds, so Ragnuk took a folder from his desk and handed it to Harry. "Is there anything else I can do for you today Mr. Potter?"

Harry started to respond but stopped and changed tacks with a nudge from Merlin. "No, I don't- wait, yes, there is one thing. I was wondering if you knew of a transfiguration expert I could consult with discreetly who might be able to shed some light on why the Animagus revelation procedure yielded nothing but a dizzying display of lights and a colossal headache?"

The reaction Harry got was nothing like what he expected. Ragnuk seemed to choke on his own spit. Nothing Harry had done today, no manners, no name –remembering, no 500 year old customs, had shocked him this much.

"Is everything alright Mr. Ragnuk?"

Ragnuk just sat there dumbly staring at him for almost 20 seconds before shaking his head and looking at Harry in what appeared to be awe.

"Tell me Mr. Potter, have you ever heard of the Heart Giver?"


	4. Revelations

Harry blinked owlishly at the goblin on the other side of the desk. Not only had he never heard of it, but as far as he could tell, the question had seemed to come completely out of left field. "I'm sorry Mr. Ragnuk, I have not. What exactly is a heart giver?"

Ragnuk waved his hand dismissively. "It is quite alright Mr. Potter, in fact I'd have been quite surprised if you had heard of it. Relatively few humans have, and far fewer believe it to be anything more than an old fairy tale. However, among many of the other magical species which inhabit our planet, it is probably somewhere between a legend and a prophecy."

Harry gave a soft groan. "Just what I need, another prophecy," he mumbled under his breath. He hadn't intended for Ragnuk to hear, but apparently he had underestimated those sharp goblin ears. Ragnuk raised an eyebrow at his remark but didn't say anything. However Harry was not naïve enough to believe the shrewd businessman before him wasn't filing away his words for future reference.

"I wonder if you might enlighten me regarding your views on how your ministry and the rest of the wizarding interact with other species?"

Harry's eyebrows shot up at the unexpected question, but figuring the goblin wouldn't ask this if it didn't hold some form of significance, he answered. "Uh- Well, I know about the ministry passing ridiculous laws against werewolves and centaurs. I have a little familiarity with wizard/goblin history but I don't know how confident I am in its accuracy. I didn't have an excellent teacher and even if he were perfect I know it's only one side of the story. I've also seen how abysmally some wizards treat house-elves. Other than that, not much."

Ragnuk nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. You see Mr. Potter, there has long been conflict between many of the species on Earth. The one that has the most enemies has consistently been humanity, but due to their numbers and abilities they don't often lose these conflicts. Many years ago, there was a prediction that one day there would be a human who would have a truly wondrous soul. It was said that this person would be kind and respectful towards any living creature he or she would meet, regardless of their race, simply because they were alive, and that he would give all species a chance at living together harmoniously. They would all listen to him because he was devoted to them all until and unless they individually had given some reason for him to change his perspective. And if this would happen, he would not judge the entire race or social group for this, merely the individuals who'd wronged him. This became known as the legend of the heart giver, for he seemingly would give a piece of his heart to everyone he met.

Harry's mind was spinning with this information as he tried to absorb it all. As he considered what Ragnuk had told him, he was reminded of some of his words from earlier. "Why did you call this something between a legend and a prophecy? This sounds to me very much like a plain, straight-up prophecy."

The goblin smiled, impressed at both the youth's memory and his inquisitive nature. "You see Mr. Potter, the prediction was heard and passed down, but there are many parts of it which are debated. You will notice, for example, that much of the talk about events that will supposedly happen was stated as a theoretical. There would be a person, but he wouldn't necessarily unite the Earth. He would merely have a chance to because he would have a very strong capacity for one of the most precious and under regarded traits that exist."

Harry nodded. "Empathy," he stated simply.

Ragnuk's smile widened. "Precisely, Mr. Potter. Because the only things stated with certainty were regarding this capacity of his, there were many questions about how a vision like this could happen. The supposed seer was not seeing an event, or a connection between parties. He was foreseeing a person having an unusually rich soul. This and other historical details from the time period have led to much speculation and debate regarding whether this was a prophecy or something the person in question knew because he had taken steps to make it happen."

Harry nodded slowly, trying to take it in. "Ok. But why are you telling me this?"

"There were few identifying features given for the heart giver. There is no way you can identify someone based solely on their giving respect to others. People do that. However, one thing he specifically went out of his way to identify as a distinguishing feature was that his empathy with creatures of the world would have no preferences. For centuries nobody understood how this could be used as an identifying characterisitic, until approximately 300 years ago when an African wizard known as Showden the shape changer figured out the theory behind the Animagus form. He postulated that a person's Animagus form developed from an animal whose nature their soul empathized most closely with. But because the heart giver empathized with all creatures and multi-animagus transformation was proven as being limited to no more than three or four forms, it seemed clear that the heart giver would be the one human being who did not possess an Animagus form.

Harry recalled his earlier question to Merlin and finished off Ragnuk's train of thought. "And the Animagus revelation that I went through had my world cycling through so many different colors, almost as if it couldn't decide where to settle."

The goblin nodded. "Precisely."

Harry considered the goblin's words. This was quite a bit to take in, yet he could find no fault with the reasoning. But what about Voldemort? That was already quite more than enough to contend with. To have an added responsibility on top of that…

Merlin interjected here. "Don't think like that, Harry. In fact, this may very well be the 'power the dark lord knows not'!"

Harry figuratively stared at the old man in his head. "How do you work that one out?"

"Do you remember what I told you about the war with Morvere? How Merlin had to take the steps of hiding his children because he couldn't take on all of Morvere's men?" Harry gave a mental affirmative. "Harry, Morvere had about the same power as your Alastor Moody. He was nothing compared to Merlin. The whole issue was that his army was too large for Merlin all on his own, and he was too old to have the time to gather more men. For one man, no matter how powerful, taking on an entire army is completely impractical. And you know Tom Riddle has proven himself capable in the past of gathering a massive army of both wizards and dark creatures. But if this heart giver status of yours allows you to unite more of the wizarding world…

Harry finished Merlin's train of thought. "…Than we'd have an army match against his."

"Exactly."

Harry felt the stirring of a strange feeling in him. Something he could almost call…

"That, young Harry, is **hope**."

Harry smiled. Hope felt kind of good. Merlin snorted.

"Mr. Potter? Is something wrong?"

Harry started. Ragnuk was sitting there, apparently having noticed Harry's retreat into his mind to speak to Merlin, as well as the smile that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. "I- I'm sorry, Mr. Ragnuk, I must have gone somewhere else for a moment."

"Would this 'somewhere else' have anything to do with the sudden changes, new vaults and such you've displayed?"

Harry cursed in his mind while Merlin laughed uproariously. "Oh, I like this goblin, young Harry. He's a shrewd one. I suggest you tell him the truth. I see no reason to keep it from him, especially since he knows of your sudden possession of Merlin's vault."

Harry nodded slowly. "May I have your word, Mr. Ragnuk, that you will keep the following information confidential?"

Ragnuk nodded. "Of course Mr. Potter. I give you my word on my career, my life, and my honor that I will tell no one without your permission." And so Harry told Ragnuk all about the strain of consciousness Merlin had left for one of his descendants and all it had told him.

"Fascinating," remarked the goblin. "This certainly explains your use of outdated goblin terminology." Harry nodded sheepishly. "Well Mr. Potter, with your permission I would like to communicate with the king of my people. I am quite certain that once he learns of your existence he will want to meet with you."

It took every ounce of self-control Harry had not to gape like an idiot at the idea.

"You are the heart giver, Mr. Potter. My people and others have been looking forward to meeting you for many centuries."

Harry nodded slowly, trying to slow his raging thoughts.

"If I may, Mr. Potter, another question?"

Harry grasped gratefully at the idea of something to focus on, although the formality was starting to bug him. "Only if you call me Harry. Mr. Potter makes me feel like I'm in trouble with one of my teachers."

Ragnuk smiled. "You may call me Ragnuk. I hope you don't take offence to this, but you do not seem to be quite healthy. For one thing you are rather thin."

Annnnnd, just like that the gratitude for the question flew out the window…. Harry looked down sheepishly. "It's nothing, Ragnuk. I'm fine."

A tense moment later, Ragnuk spoke his name softly. Harry looked up uncertainly. "Is there some sort of problem at your relatives' residence?" Harry mentally started employing all of Uncle Vernon's old curses while trying to find some way to get out of the situation. "Um, no. No, Ragnuk, everything is fine at the Dursleys, thank you for asking.

Merlin snorted again. "Harry, you might, **might**, have convinced a somewhat dim 4 year old with that answer. Ragnuk will never accept it."

"Shut up, old man." Harry cut him off as Ragnuk continued.

"Are you quite certain of that Harry? Then you wouldn't mind submitting to Gringotts medical examination to determine if there is something wrong with your health?"

Harry panicked. "No! That's fine! Really! I'm okay, Ragnuk, really…."

"Harry, you do not look okay even to the naked eye, and your lying could, quite frankly, use some work." Harry went to the curses he'd picked up from the Weasley twins. "Harry, if something is wrong, I assure you, I can help. As your financier, as someone who hopes to know you better, as a **goblin**, I want to help."

Harry could feel his resolve crumbling against Ragnuk's assault and started making up his own curses.

"Please? Let me help you?" Harry started. "Please do not take this the wrong way, Harry, but it is quite obvious to an experienced eye."

Struggling to get the words past the lump in his throat, Harry told Ragnuk a little of what he'd gone through with the Dursleys, of the maligning, the threats, the chores, the cupboard, the hitting. He only spoke for 5 minutes, unable to talk about it more, but by the end he was wiping tears from his face and Ragnuk was growling softly.

"Thank you, Harry, for trusting me with this. I know it was most difficult for you. I assure you, I will do everything in my power to get you out of that place."

"I wish you could, Ragnuk, I really do."

Ragnuk seemed confused by this, so Harry told him what Dumbledore had said at the end of the previous term regarding the blood wards. He expected Ragnuk's reaction to be one of the utmost regret, sympathy, perhaps even anger. The one thing he didn't expect was what he got (he supposed he should be used to that by now.)

"That makes no sense."

Harry was startled by Ragnuk's words. "What do you mean?"

"A blood ward created based off an emotional sacrifice should require both blood and emotion to operate. From what you've told me, it does not sound like your aunt's feelings towards you are in any way a reflection or continuation of your mother's."

Harry gaped. "But- Dumbledore-"

"Is either a fool or is lying. This is one of the most basic elements of this type of ward."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But- But- then why would I keep having to go back there? Why would I have gone there in the first place?"

"I do not know why you ended up there, but I do know that it would be a likely outcome after your parents' will was sealed."

Harry came dangerously close to swallowing his own tongue. "Sealed!? How can that be? How does that even happen? And why would that have sent to the Dursleys?"

"If your aunt truly felt this way about your mother I find it highly unlikely your mother would have wanted you to go there. But your parents' will was sealed at the time of their deaths, something which requires the agreement of the head of the DMLE, Bartemius Crouch Senior at the time, the Minister of Magic Milicent Bagnold and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot Albus Dumbledore."

Harry's mind was reeling. Dumbledore!? Dumbledore had the will sealed? First the blood ward, now this! "Could Dumbledore have not known what it said?" Harry grasped in desperation.

"Possible for the other two, but not for him. You see, Albus Dumbledore was named as the executor of your parents' will, which by law means he had to have read it before it was signed."

"So he sealed the will so he could send me to the Dursleys for the protection of a blood ward that he had to have known wouldn't work?" Harry summed up.

"Yes."

Harry's senses were in freefall. Dumbledore. The man he'd looked up to. The man whom he thought was protecting him. The man whom he thought **loved** him. How could he do this?

There was a total and complete silence in the room for several minutes as Ragnuk allowed Harry to absorb his revelations. Under any other circumstances Ragnuk would've considered the shock Harry was going through, at least being done in front of another, to be a weakness. But he knew this was a betrayal of the worst kind, of the kind that any goblin would've died rather than commit. A betrayal of honor. So Ragnuk sat patiently and let Harry digest the revelation. After a few minutes, Harry spoke, and Ragnuk was both startled and impressed by the strength in his voice for someone so young in this situation.

"Can I see it? The will, I mean? My parents' will?"

Ragnuk nodded. "As the last remaining descendent under no suspicion of culpability in their deaths you are entitled to see it, however it cannot be used legally until and unless it is unsealed," he replied as he started shuffling through the papers on his desk. Harry couldn't quite explain exactly why he wanted to see the will. All he knew was that this document which had been kept from him was the last record of his parents' wishes. The closest thing he could possibly have to hearing what they wanted for him. He didn't quite know how to feel about seeing it, he just knew he needed to.

"Here it is, Harry," Ragnuk said after a few moments, passing him a document marked confidential. Harry took the document with shaking hands, trying to steady himself enough to open up the folder and take a look.

After a few moments and a couple of deep breaths, Harry dove in and began scrutinizing the will. He set aside the legal mumbo jumbo to run by Ragnuk later and focused on examining everything in there that was in any way personal. His eyes glistened as he regarded the priceless treasures that were the little glimpses into his parents' feelings as they set things aside for particular people. Harry was out and out crying when he saw the section where they left everything not specifically named otherwise to him should he survive them and left custody to Sirius, Remus, or several others, none of which were the Dursleys. But there was one paragraph which evoked a very different, but just as powerful, just as terrible emotion in Harry. He'd almost missed the significance in his current state, but he'd learned over the years to listen to those nagging feelings in the back of his head which told him he'd missed something, and he went back and looked it over again.

_We bequeath the mouse-hand grandfather clock in the living room to James' uncle Gerard Corson. Uncle Gerry, if you're reading this and wondering about Wormy, don't. He does love that clock, but the sad truth is with his position as secret keeper, if you're reading this particular version of the will, he must have passed on as well._

Harry's hands trembled beneath the onslaught of his terrible fury. Dumbledore hadn't just denied his parents' last sacred wishes when he sealed this document. He hadn't just made it possible for Harry to be placed with people who detested the idea of his existence. This document that Dumbledore knew contained legally admissible evidence that Sirius wasn't the secret keeper. Harry held proof in his hands that Dumbledore had purposely sent Sirius to Azkaban for twelve years.


	5. Information and Goodbye

Disclaimer: Still have no claim on the genius that is Harry Potter.

**Longest chapter I've ever written! Please Review!**

Harry just sat there staring at nothing. He could feel his entire world collapsing around him. _Dumbledore_, of all people? He knew the man had made mistakes, he knew this intimately after the past year, but this…. His mentor, his hero, practically his grandfather, had betrayed him long before the two of them had ever even met! Not just him… his parents… Sirius…. The thoughts were charging through his head faster than he could keep up. He didn't know which way to turn. He had no idea how long he sat there pondering the situation before Ragnuk's voice jolted him out of his reverie.

"Is something wrong, Harry? You appear to be troubled by something you've seen in the will."

Harry snorted. "'Troubled', doesn't even begin to cover it Ragnuk. Take a look at this." Harry handed the document over to Ragnuk and pointed to the specific passage he'd read. Ragnuk looked up in quite some shock.

"Peter Pettigrew was the secret keeper? I was always given to understand it was Black, and that he'd betrayed the Potters and then murdered Pettigrew."

"Yeah, I'm well aware," Harry replied bitterly, before telling Ragnuk a brief history of his all too short association with his godfather.

"Unbelievable. As head of the Wizengamot, Dumbledore would've had tremendous influence to take steps towards proving Mr. Black's innocence, especially with no original trial. And that's not even speaking to the fact based on this document that Dumbledore knew of his innocence from the very beginning."

Hearing Ragnuk lay things out like this put another thought into Harry's mind, one he definitely couldn't call particularly pleasant, although not really able to make him feel more disturbed than he already was. "Ragnuk, all things considered, is it possible that Dumbledore had a hand in making sure Sirius didn't get a trial in the first place?"

"Very possible, Harry." Ragnuk was quite pleased with the young man's astute analysis, particularly considering how much more shocking this must be to Harry than it was to him. "As head of the Wizengamot and with the enormous respect he carries, Dumbledore would be uniquely positioned to keep someone from getting a trial. It is impossible to legally keep a suspect from receiving a trial, and to delay it is one of a number of measures on a list of those considered so extreme that they require the agreement of the Supreme Mugwump, the head of the DMLE, and the Minister, just like suppressing a will. The only potential way for him to not get a trial, particularly considering the position his family enjoyed and the publicity of the incident, would have been to delay it and then take steps to ensure that it got lost in the shuffle. Dumbledore himself would naturally have one of those votes, and he had a great deal of pull with Bagnold and Crouch."

Harry digested this latest blow as stoically as he could, despite knowing that Ragnuk saw right through him. "Would it be possible for you to quietly check into that? Right now all we have for that is suspicions and coincidence. I'd prefer hard evidence."

Ragnuk nodded. "A wise decision Harry. We will look into the matter discreetly."

At Merlin's nudging Harry decided to bring the meeting to a close. "Thank you very much, Ragnuk. You have been more of a help than I could have dreamed. Would it be possible for me to head down to Merlin's vault now? I have rather a lot to digest at the moment and I still have pressing business."

"Of course Harry, I shall have Griphook show you there."

"Thank you. May I ask what exactly the appropriate farewell among the goblins is today?"

Ragunk's smiled appreciatively. "I believe I would find you the most agreeable human I have ever met even without my knowledge of your status as the heart giver. The phrase is 'fair fortune in the pursuit of both honor and acclaim.'"

Harry matched Merlin's raised eyebrow at the terminology.

"In the world we live in today the pursuit of acclaim and honor are often made into separate entities, causing one to be cast aside. We goblins seek to keep a constant reminder to each other to continually search for both, together."

Harry bowed his head to Ragnuk as Griphook walked into the room. "May I say, Ragnuk, if my meeting today was any indication, I think you are doing just fine in that regard. Fair fortune in the pursuit of both honor and acclaim."

Ragnuk looked highly complimented as well as a little surprised as Harry left the office. _That young man may just be the salvation of all we hold in our hearts as well as our bodies._

Harry and Griphook sped down to the vault in one of the carts, passing miles of caverns and vaults. Finally arriving at a door situated deep underground and guarded by a pair of blinded dragons, Harry and Merlin got out and made for the door, using a goblin apparatus Griphook produced called a clanker to get past the dragons. Griphook then showed Harry ten well camouflaged marks on the door and told him to put the tips of each of his fingers on one of them and hold them there as Griphook stroked the door the way Harry had seen him do five years earlier on the vault containing the sorcerer's stone. At Griphook's touch Harry felt as if something was being tugged out of him through his hands, and the door melted away. Harry walked in and immediately saw the only thing contained in the vault, the most bizarre piece of headgear Harry had ever seen. It was made of crystal, with a ring in the middle to go on like a headband branching out from multiple points to a larger ring containing a substance similar to the raw memories had seen before, except where those were white this memory substance was a light red.

"Go on, Harry. Put it on" came Merlin's voice.

"I don't have to wear that thing the whole time, do I?"

Merlin chuckled. "No, Harry, your fashion sense, such as it is, is safe. Now if you please?"

Harry childishly stuck out his tongue at Merlin but placed the contraption on his head. Harry immediately felt a strange sensation he could only describe as non-wet water pouring over his head. He could feel his body reacting the same way it had at the door to the vault and realized this was his magic being probed. As quickly as it had started the feeling flashed into needles sticking into his head from each of the branch points between the rings. Harry struggled through the thankfully brief pain, yanking off the gizmo as soon as it was done.

"Is that it?" Harry asked Merlin.

"That's it."

"I don't feel any different."

"And you won't. The device couldn't integrate the memories into you as memories, they would overwhelm your own memories and cause you to lose all sense of your identity, most likely going insane. Instead they're integrated into your mind as a reference. When you need information on a subject think for it. It will come to you in much the same way it would as if you'd read it in a book. Try thinking about needing information on the fundamental principles of magic."

Harry felt somewhat dubious but obeyed Merlin's request, and was promptly astonished by the deluge of information he could've sworn he'd researched extensively even as he knew he never had. Merlin had come to understand magic to an extent that nobody Harry had ever met or heard of had. Wizards accepted as truth that the magic a person used was drawn from the magical core within a person's body. The more powerful wizards were those born with larger cores, just as someone born with larger legs could usually run faster. While this was in some way technically true, it was also overly simplistic. There were 3 places a person could actually tap into for magic. Their physical core, their soul, and the ambient magic in the world around them. Each of these types of magic could be manipulated in different ways to do different things. The standard methodology drew on their core exclusively except for occasional times when their soul magic would augment it unconsciously. Harry found detailed instructions on how Merlin had tapped into and all three types of magic. Harry was capable of only one response.

"Whoa…" Harry breathed out in a shocked voice.

"How eloquent" Merlin snorted.

This managed to snap Harry out of his awed daze. "Oh shut up you old goat."

Merlin's body appeared before Harry, chuckling, just like how it had been in the vision he'd had in his sleep. "How- why are you all of a sudden in front of me instead of just in my head?"

"The memories you absorbed have given me a little bit more prominence, plus I don't need to conserve my presence anymore Harry, seeing as this is where we part ways."

Harry jumped in shock. He'd forgotten what Merlin had said to him about how his piece of consciousness would be removed from Harry's mind once the memory transfer was complete and was rather saddened at the idea of being alone again. As annoying as he could sometimes be, Merlin was excellent company for a lonely soul and had been tremendously helpful and supportive.

Merlin, as usual, sensed Harry's mood. "Oh don't be like that, young Harry. You have plenty of people here who love you and want to be with you. And look on the bright side, most people would be thanking their lucky stars just to have been able to meet me at all."

Harry shook his head at Merlin's antics. "Maybe I won't miss you quite so much you old codger." But they both knew the words were empty.

"Just a few final pieces of advice then, before I go." Harry straightened up and began paying particular attention to what Merlin was saying.

"First of all, I think you would be well served to get yourself a house elf." Harry opened his mouth to object but Merlin cut him off.

"No, Harry, hear me out. You see, elves are one of the most ancient and powerful species that have existed on this planet. I myself was lucky enough in my time to count many of their number as my friends. But my enemies were aware of this, and sought to use it against me. My best friend among the elves was a fellow by the name of Kavin. We had been through much together. We'd explored the nature of magic together, shed blood for each other, we'd even given each other important roles in our respective weddings. We were brothers."

Merlin's eyes started to mist over in recollection.

"A young fool by the name of Sibana began dabbling in the dark arts. Kavin and I were made aware of his attack on a small village and set out to hunt him down. Sibana managed to capture Kavin for a short time. I set out to track them down as quickly as I could. I found Sibana in the midst of performing a horrific ritual to bind Kavin into his service, most likely to use him against me. I killed Sibana before he could complete the ritual but his handiwork had already exacted a terrible price on my friend. His magical core was tied into a binding ritual which could only be compatible with a human core. He would be forced to obey the orders and work for a human. I wanted so badly to help him but there was no time. Injured as he was, he needed to be bound to a human immediately or he would have died. So I- I-"

Merlin's voice broke as tears began leaking down the sides of his face. Harry wanted so badly to do something to help him but he had no idea what to say, and as Merlin wasn't actually there touching him wasn't an option. After a couple of moments Merlin managed to compose himself. Although he was still crying silently his body was still and his voice was steady.

"I bound him to me."

Harry stood there, not quite knowing how to feel. On the one hand, it seemed like such a terrible thing to do to a friend, but on the other, what other choice did he have? To let his friend die? That was a horrific choice to make, and Harry found he couldn't blame Merlin for making the choice he had.

"You are very kind, Harry, kinder than I was for a long time. I spent years searching for a way to undo the damage Sibana had wrought, but I was continually called upon to deal with situations which forced me to take time away. In the end, I was unable to find the solution before my time on this Earth was up. When I knew the end was near, I called Kavin, and apologized to him, begged his forgiveness for failing him. Not only himself, but his family as well, for the terrible curse had been passed down to Kavin's children as well."

Merlin sniffed but managed to hold onto his control this time, and slowly strangely, a smile came onto his face.

"I do not believe that in any of my many years was I as surprised as I was by his answer. I had expected him to either refuse to forgive me or to give me that forgiveness which is between two people who know one's time is short. In the end, Kavin surprised me. He spoke of how his bond with me had done wonderous things for his magic that he never could have imagined, how he didn't mind being bonded to me because I never took advantage of him. He did not forgive me. He absolved me."

Merlin's smile grew beatific as Harry stared in wonder. What kind of friends those two must have been for Kavin to be able to feel that way for Merlin.

"Anyway, the point of this story was that Kavin's descendants, as I'm sure you've guessed, became the first house-elves. They live through the magic and the service they give to their masters, but it creates wonders for them which we can scarcely imagine. They get two separate forms of magic to utilize, for each species has its own unique elements. It brings them such joy, such purpose in their lives. The only cruelty of their position is entirely dependent on the humans to which they're bound to. They cannot simply escape, otherwise their magic and then their lives will fade away, but if the master is kind, they would not want to. And so, I believe you should get yourself a house elf. They are incredibly loyal, very useful, and your care for them will bring them immense joy. I believe of all of them your interesting friend Dobby would get the most joy of all. And on a selfish note it would feel like a last favor to my dear old friend to ensure at least one of his descendants was so well looked after."

Harry nodded, gobsmacked but accepting of the idea. Although he wasn't quite sure what he was going to tell Hermione. But even as he considered this, Merlin made it clear he wasn't done yet.

"In addition, I would suggest making some significant study of muggle science and methodologies."

Harry just stared.

"Much of magic becomes far more effective when utilized in conjunction with nature and the environment around you. Muggles have developed far more of an understanding of these domains if your memories are any indication. They've also made many achievements of their own in order to function without magic which could assist you in your various endeavors.

One more thing. There is a procedure, a small ritual, which you can use to convey bits of information to someone without others overhearing, even if they're sitting right next to you. It does require eye contact, and there are issues of compatibility between the two who are conversing. Judging by your memories, I'd suggest making your first attempt with Ms. Weasley."

Harry nodded as he saw the procedure Merlin was suggesting. "Thank you for that, it'll be really helpful with Dumbledore and the order. Thank you for everything."

Merlin just nodded once and began to fade away.

Harry called out to the fading image one last time. "Wait! Will I ever see you again?"

Merlin chuckled. "Perhaps sooner than you think."

Harry had absolutely no idea what this was supposed to mean, but before he could question Merlin further, the old man was gone. Harry paused, experiencing yet another feeling of loss, yet a very different one that didn't leave him nearly as empty. Merlin hadn't really died, after all, and in many ways a lot of him lived on in that which was now in Harry's mind.

Harry left the vault to see Griphook dutifully waiting outside close enough to the vault that the dragons wouldn't bother him.

"Griphook, how might I go about getting in touch with a particular house-elf not bonded to me?"

By this point Harry could not stop himself from laughing at the widening of Griphook's large eyes. It seemed he wasn't capable of speaking with a goblin today without startling him badly. "I'm sure that's not a question you get very often, is it?"

"Uh, n-no, Mr. Potter, it is not" stuttered the goblin before straightening to explain. "If the elf in question has a personal connection to you, you should be able to simply call out his name and he will hear it, although if he is busy for his employer it might take time before he comes."

Harry nodded. "Thanks, Griphook. Dobby!"

With a crack the house elf appeared in front of Harry, followed a split second later by an ear-shattering ringing.

"What is that Griphook!?"

Griphook waved his hand and the noise stopped. "Apologies Mr. Potter, I did not realize you would try it now. Calling a house-elf not bonded to you in Gringotts will cause their apparition to set off the wards. It is not something we goblins have much experience with as wizards do it quite rarely."

Harry winced. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Dobby chose this moment to start squeaking. "The great Harry Potter called for Dobby?"

"Yeah, Dobby, I had a question for you. I was wondering if you might like to come and work for me."

The tennis-ball eyes widened to small soccer balls. "The great Harry Potter wishes Dobby to be his elf?"

Harry nodded, bracing himself for the collision of the sobbing elf onto his legs. "Harry… P-P-Potter truly is- hic- the g-g-greatest – hic- wizard in the – hic- w-w-world!"

After calming Dobby down, a feat which took several minutes with Griphook looking on bemusedly, Harry addressed the elf once more. "Now Dobby, there are a few conditions. You never call me master, you accept five galleons a week and any days off you want. Just please let me know in advance. And absolutely NO punishing yourself."

Dobby shook his tiny head. "One galleon, sir. Dobby will take no more."

Harry sighed but nodded, almost being caught off guard as Dobby flung his arms around Harry's leg yet again. Harry looked over Dobby's head at the poor confused goblin and rolled his eyes while simultaneously calming Dobby down.

A minute or so later, Dobby backed off and looked up at Harry sheepishly. "Harry Potter has been far too good to Dobby, Dobby has no right to ask-"

Harry cut him off right there. "Dobby, you can always ask me anything. What is it?"

Dobby looked as though he was struggling not to attach himself to Harry's legs for the third time, but managed to hold himself back to Harry's immense relief. "It is just- Dobby is worried about Winky, sir. Winky is still drinking lots and losing magic without a family to take care of. Being at Hogwarts helps but since she came from a family to start with it is not the same. Without Dobby there to take care of her, Dobby is afraid what might happen. Could-"

"Of course you can invite Winky to come too, but the same conditions apply." And there was the third leg-locker hug. Harry sighed. This was looking to be a long day.

After Dobby finished crying he went and got Winky. Winky was overjoyed to be chosen by another family and did some crying of her own. Eventually Harry managed to calm down Winky and, after some tense negotiations, got her to agree to the same terms Dobby had. (Negotiations which mainly consisted of Harry repeating over and over again for five straight minutes that he wouldn't consider it proper to have a house-elf any other way.) Once Winky's second and Dobby's fourth crying sessions were over and done with, Harry bound them to him and told them the basics of what he'd learned about Dumbledore that day. After persuading them that going off and cursing the headmaster would be counterproductive, Harry asked Winky to go back to Hogwarts and attempt to keep an eye open for any goings on. Dobby was going to have the same job but first Harry asked him to go out and snag some order catalogues from Muggle bookstores without being seen. When the two elves left, Griphook took Harry back up to the lobby where he thanked the goblin profusely and left.

One week after his earthshattering visit to Gringotts things were looking very different for Harry. He'd used several meditation techniques from Merlin's memories to extend his awareness of his magic all the way down to the core. As all interaction with magic originated in a person's magical core, Harry was able to use his newfound awareness to start experimenting with magic. First he disabled the Trace on his wand which allowed the ministry to detect underage magic. Since all he had to do was redirect his magic so it didn't interact with the ward on its way to his wand, Harry was able to do this without casting a spell. Then, with his newfound freedom to use his wand, Harry established a deeper connection with his core magic as well as his soul magic. By combining the two Harry found himself able to begin casting spells without the use of his wand. This still needed some practice as he wasn't quite used to it yet, but Harry was sure that would come with time.

In addition, Harry started experimenting with spells from Merlin's memories using his wand. He couldn't get over just how startling the depths of knowledge Merlin had left him were. He'd already charmed his room to be much larger on the inside than the outside, as well as making his furniture more comfortable, and practiced a number of different hexes, curses, and charms.

He also made a point of establishing Occlumency shields, which, without the idiotic bit of uselessness Snape called instructions, wasn't actually very difficult, although Harry suspected that the occlumency used by Merlin operated very differently to the type Snape and Dumbledore used. All emotions and thoughts usually permeate the soul of the average person. All Harry had to do was condense the portion of his soul magic which contained his mind and then push it into the center of his soul. Then he used the outer layers of soul magic to create obstructions and defenses to keep out external attacks.

Harry made sure to come out for meal times to avoid raising the suspicion of his relatives. Thankfully they seemed to have taken Mad-eye's warning from the train station seriously and were leaving him alone for a change. They still didn't feed him much, but with the twin godsends that were Dobby and Winky this wasn't a problem. They'd also managed to get him a number of books both muggle and magical which Harry was reading whenever he had some free time from his practice, and he could already see the benefits.

The one thing Harry was most worried about at the moment was Hedwig. When he'd come back from Gringotts his trusty owl had been nowhere to be found, and she still had not come back. Harry wasn't quite at the level of open fear but he was getting close.

Harry sat on his bed, reading a book on physics when he heard a tapping at the window. Thinking this might be his wayward owl he bounded off the bed. But when he got there, what he saw instead was-

"_Errol?_"

Last Harry had heard, the Weasleys had pretty much decided that it was time for Errol to retire, certainly from any trips of such length as the one to Privet drive. Hastily opening the window while shoving down his disappointment, Harry guided the collapsing owl over to Hedwig's cage and set him down inside. Harry set Errol down at Hedwig's water bowl before removing the parchment attached to the owl's leg, wondering what could necessitate using Errol in his condition.

_Harry,_

_I don't have much time, had to use Errol because I couldn't risk trying to borrow another owl. The order is coming for you tomorrow evening to bring you to HQ. We'll get there sometime earlier in the day. When you get there we need to talk in private as quickly as possible, before you even go off with Ron and Hermione._

_Ginny_

Harry stood staring at the note for a full minute, his worry escalating with each passing thought. What could have happened that would give Ginny such a sense of urgency to talk to him in private?

**Thought?**


End file.
